Category Archives: Community Events

Ascending the stairs into Motor City Wine I look to my left and see Detroit-based techno producer Carl Craig setting up his gear. A few of his friends are sitting at the bar, chatting casually, drinking various glasses of wine I can’t even pretend to know anything about. My knowledge of the stuff starts at “white” and ends at “red”. I pour myself a glass of water.

There’s at least a full hour before Craig begins his four-hour long DJ set in this small, intimate venue. Rather than doing a dozen uncomfortable, canned interviews he’s decided to “hold court” with the press, inviting us to his gig early to just hang out, chat and see what conversation comes up.

Not everyone gets the idea right away. There are a few awkward moments when he’s referred to as a legend – “I guess because of my age,” Craig responds – and when somebody mentions his “beautiful home in Florida.” But once the press vibe is lost the conversation loosens up. He and I talk about the crossover between hip-hop and electronic music, Hudson Mohawke, A$AP Rocky, sampling and the difference between cash-grab tracks and labors of love.

“You could kind of feel that direction when people were using Benny Benassi or people like that when they were trying to make these trancey rave records that they could rap on top of… they were seeing a pay-day,” Craig said about the earlier days of EDM and hip-hop crossover. “…with Kanye, after seeing him on Saturday Night Live, he wants to be like Trent Reznor so I think that’s quite interesting, I like that,”

Aside from the obvious fact that we were approaching “Movement Weekend” and the city was officially in pre-party mode, Craig wanted this evening to be an opportunity to talk about his new “Masterpiece” 3 CD box-set coming out June 24th via Ministry of Sound. The first disc includes music Craig has been inspired by. The second features music he’s currently playing. And the third is something he calls “Meditation”.

“Each piece is ten minutes, where you can sit, close your eyes and just kind of meditate, and the music flows very slowly and smoothly, there’s nothing in there that’s supposed to be shocking, because it’s meant to be a meditative thing,” said Craig. “So hopefully it will be a good tool for when you come from the club and your ears hurt and you put it on and you want something that still sounds like the club but it’s not the club. Something that could help you from one high to the next, or come off a high, or whatever the scenario is.”

You could really get a sense for how meticulous Craig is in his work when even in casual conversation he tells you what frequency his tinnitus resonates at. He also has an interesting story regarding how he damaged his hearing in the first place.

“It’s like sex, right?” Craig responds when asked if he does a good job of protecting his hearing. The press panel made up entirely of women (excluding myself) blushes, giggles, sits up straight. One woman who had been taking notes up until that point fumbles through her bag for her audio recorder.

“You’re in the situation, you’re in the heat of the moment, the condom doesn’t go on, ya know? The protection doesn’t go on. And ear plugs, I consider them ear condoms,” Craig said.

The heat of the moment came at 10 p.m. as our chat ended and Craig manned his CDJs and laptop. Guests began to arrive, Motor City Wine reached capacity and a line formed down the block and things stayed that way until the bar closed. Craig spun for four hours straight and didn’t let up. It was a night I won’t soon forget.

The Movement Electronic Festival is right around the corner…actually it’s tomorrow. Now is the time to take another look at the line up, gather some clothes that agree with Michigan weather (attempt at least) and plan to say goodbye to sleep.

This August the Freedom Hill Amphitheater will be the festival grounds for the new festival MO POP. MO POP is an all-day event taking place August 17, 2013 that plans to capture Michigan’s sound, history and bring light to the visual arts.

Music acts to hit the stage include Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Old Crow Medicine Show, Manchester Orchestra, Walk Off the Earth and Capital Cities. Some of Detroit’s own include Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr, American Authors, The Soil & The Sun and WAYN Radio favorite Jamaican Queens. Other acts include the “MO Vaudeville Revival Sideshow” spotlighting the areas special performers. The festival also plans to have a “MO Artist Village” along with a Detroit Music Award film exhibit.

All the acts seemed to have a great time on stage, they kept us dancing and belting out some lyrics. The night ended with some trippy, seductive, visuals from FLASHCLASH. You missed the show you say?! Well, don’t fret check out the links above and listen to the tunes. We also have some dates below so you can see these bands live.

The Hounds Below- Saturday, March 9 at The Loving Touch $5 performing with Alexis, Flint Eastwood, and The Sights.

Last week the student center was filled with talent and WAYN Radio DJ’s ready for new music. Attendees walked away with some knowledge of new local artist and some promotional items thanks to Warner Music Group, and WAYN Radio. Like we promised here are all of the artist featured at the event, and where you can find their music.

For their next artist Warner Music Group featured Macklemore x Ryan Lewis. Macklemore is the emcee of the group and writes the lyrics and Ryan Lewis is the producer. Visit their site to listen to some of their music.

It was a chilly but beautiful night on the Detroit riverfront last Thursday. Students gathered for the weekly Thursdays in the D activity: a trip on the Diamond Jack River Tour. It took a little longer than expected to get started, from the amount of students joining the fun, the shuttles had to make extra rounds. Once the boat left the dock it was clear that the tour was going to be a good time.

As the boat made its way from the Riverwalk north of the Renaissance Center upstream towards Lake St. Clair, students learned about the industrial history of the area, along with more recent history, like what hotel the Beatles stayed in when they visited Detroit in the ‘60s! Contemporary landmarks like Kid Rock’s house and the Manoogian Mansion were also pointed out. The second half of the tour was largely a dance party, with several students forming a conga line and having fun dancing to the radio. The riverboat offered snacks, soft drinks, and even alcoholic beverages to those over 21, which added to the festivity.

Overall, Thursdays in the D really stepped it up with something new and different this week, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Bringing students to the Riverwalk and on the boat tour was a great way to introduce them to an area of Detroit they may not have explored before. Wayne State University students Katelin Maylum and Alisha Kennedy both looked forward to the experience. Maylum hadn’t known there were even riverboat tours offered on the Detroit River before that night.

This week, Thursdays in the D takes students to the Charles H. Wright Museum for Salsa Night! It’s free with a OneCard, and shuttles will leave from in front of Starbucks and University at 6 pm.